So It Begins
by Elfin Maid
Summary: With her rise to Captain of the Woodland Guard, Tauriel is fighting the darkness in Mirkwood as hard as she can. Her patience with the Elvenking is wearing ever thinner, and as she learns more about her past, and of what could be the future, she knows she will have to make a choice. And it could change everything... Tauriel Triology #2, Pre-DoS-Post BotFA.
1. Tauriel

**Welcome back to those of you who have been following Tauriel in So Be It, and welcome to those of you who are new here!**

**As part two in the Tauriel Trilogy, this fic will contain references to So Be It, and will probably make more sense if you read that fic first. But, definitely not a requirement! :)**

**So It Begins will be following Tauriel through the DoS, and a little bit past the BotFA. After that, we will be heading into the _uncharted lands_...**

**I will be doing my best to follow the events from the movies as closely as possible, but most of the time I will be quoting on memory-forgive me if I leave anything out.**

**Also, some small events will be changed, nothing huge, just minor details to fit the story line -I will place a warning in the A/N.**

**And, just to warn all those who** **don't like Legriel, yes, this is a Legriel fic. So please, no flames!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Tauriel rubbed her eyes viciously, trying to clear the exaustion from them.<p>

She was unsuccessful.

Years had passed since she had become Captain of the Guard, and she had worked her guards hard. Many, many hundreds of hours spent practicing drills, striving to make them the absolute best she could, straining to fullfill what she thought she must.

It was paying off, though.

They were flourishing, excelling in all areas of combat. Elves that had before been lagging behind were now racing ahead to achieve excellence.

They were happy.

Tauriel, however, was not.

She needed to be released from the stone walls holding her captive, yearned for the freedom she knew she would most likely never have.

And her patience was wearing thin with the Elvenking.

As more time had passed, the forest had sickened even more. Darkness had enveloped the once green lands.

Thranduil said that the woodland would heal.

Tauriel said-knew, with all her heart-that it wouldn't. Not before the darkness spawning in the south was silenced.

She shivered slightly.

More and more, she feared the evil rising over the lands, hated whatever, whoever, was causing these terrible things.

The spiders would not go away.

No matter how hard she tried, Tauriel could not destroy them all.

Once, in a rare and sudden fit of rage, she had sent guards out all over the Greenwood, with orders to destroy any nests of spiders they found.

For a time, she suceeded. The spiders were gone, and Thranduil was pleased.

But soon, they were back.

That day, Tauriel had lain on her bed and wept with mingled rage, desperation and confusion.

_This is not what I wanted_, she had insisted to herself.

_Ah,_ but her mind snickered, _you wanted power. You have it now, and are you happy_?

She had refrained from answering herself, choosing to ignore the answer staring her in the face.

Deep down, she knew.

Oh, yes, she knew.

_All is lost for the Greenwood-or Mirkwood, as so many call it now,_ she thought bitterly,_ unless the Elvenking awakens to what is happening in other lands. It seems he cares only for his own kingdom._

_It is perhaps a good thing that he does not hold a Ring of Power_, she reflected a few moments later. _I fear what could have happened to him with so much more power in his hand._

Rising, Tauriel carefully unbraided her long red hair. Wincing as she accidentally jerked several strands out, she brushed it out over her shoulders.

Massaging her sore scalp, Tauriel sat with her head in her hands.

_I was not ready_, she realized._ I was not ready for so much. And now I can not go back_.

_I can never go back._

_Never go back._

* * *

><p>Several days later, she stood bellowing out a mingled string of orders and curses. She was in the process of training a new group of cadets, and the young elves were proving to be very difficult.<p>

One, in particular, a young elleth with a tangled mane of sandy hair, was testing her patience with continous requests for more in-depth instructions.

_I am beggining to understand why Estelin resigned_, Tauriel groaned to herself as the small elf approached her yet again.

"Yes?" Tauriel asked, repressing a sigh.

"I am sorry, Captain," the other elleth said timidly, "but I was wondering if perhaps you could instruct me in a finer art of swordplay...?"

Tauriel resisted a smile, thinking wistfully that this young one was so much like herself when she had been very young, and unburdened.

She repressed it, instead considering the request more carefully.

"Did you finish the assignments I gave you and your partner?" Tauriel finally asked.

The elleth brightened considerably. "Oh, yes! I completed them long ago." The elleth's words held no self pride at all; she was merely stating what she considered to be facts.

"Show me," Tauriel demanded, positioning herself for a better view of the girl as she moved to attack the dummies Tauriel had placed around the area.

Immediately, the small, wiry elf complied. Drawing her dull, clumsy training sword, she spun and twisted around the bags of sand stacked together.

As the small elleth-what was her name? Tauriel wondered-dodged invisible opponets, she was viciously attacking the bag. Within seconds, sand was spilling out of numerous holes.

"Enough," Tauriel commanded. She had remembered the elleth's name, and was more than satisfied with her performance. "That was very good, Mariniel. I am pleased."

Mariniel stopped, panting slightly. "Thank you, Captain."

Tauriel eyed the strong, slim form as she stood. The girl had obvious skill, that was clear enough. But, she wondered, did she have the endurance and commitment that was so often lacking?

"Attack me," she commanded, holding her pair of daggers ready.

Mariniel did so, woefully incompetent compared to Tauriel, but still doing a good job. Within seconds, however, it was over, Tauriel holding the elleth at sword point.

"Good job," Tauriel said with another hint of a smile. "Report back to me each day for more lessons."

The girl bounced away, and Tauriel stared after her.

_So carefree_, she thought. _How I envy her._

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><p>Tauriel spared Legolas barely a glance as she passed him.<p>

She was rushing to the gates. A messenger from Rivendell was due to arrive any moment, and she was determinded to open the gates for him.

"Wait, Tauriel," Legolas called after her.

"_What_?" she snapped, turning.

Now that he had her attention, Legolas seemed at a loss for words. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, he stood looking at her rather foolishly.

Tauriel waited three seconds, threw up her hands in disgust, and ran towards the gates.

She arrived, panting lightly, just minutes later-a personal best for her. Usually, she took her time traversing the narrow stone paths. Today, she was eager to hear news from Lord Elrond. It had been many months since they had received any word from him.

Hoofbeats sounded on the hard stone arch, and Tauriel started.

"Open the gates!" she roared, then doubled over coughing. _I really overdid it that time_, she thought, clearing her throat,

The giant stone walls swung outward, and a horse and rider barreled through them. The animal was screaming in terror, and the rider was holding on for dear life.

Tauriel leaped forward to grab the horse's reins, narrowly avoiding beging scraped by pawing hooves. The mare, a coppery bay, reminded her of her old horses, Sianye' and Memory.

She shook the thought away, still struggling to calm the animal, and turned to the rider.

Dismounting, the elf removed its helmet, shaking down long, curly blonde hair.

Tauriel crushed the urge to gasp in shock.

She had only known one elf with those distinctive slanted gray eyes. Cahaldriel.

The elleth stepped forward slightly, eyes searching her face. "Tauriel?"

"Cahaldriel?" Tauriel whispered.

A mutual understanding passed between them, and they stepped forward into each other's arms.

Cahaldriel, who was slim and slight, was fairly crushed in Tauriel's rib-creaking hug.

"_Enough_," she finally grunted. "I...can't...breath!"

Tauriel stepped back, slightly embarrased. It was her most public display of affection in years. "I was so worried!" she said.

Cahaldriel gasped for air, still recovering, then took her mare's reins. "I am sorry, _mellon nin_. I did not know," she assured her friend, speaking of her cousin's crushing betrayal decades ago.

Tauriel's face softened as she patted the sweat soaked animal. "I am glad. What happened?" she asked, referring to the panicked horse.

Her friend's face sobered. "Spiders. I barely managed to make it here. They were right behind me. What has happenened to you?"

Tauriel glanced down at her Captain's attire, and smiled. "I was promoted." Her mind filtered through what her friend had said, belatedly. "Spiders? Where?"

Cahaldriel's eyes glittered with suppressed tears. "Remember the clearing?" she asked, barely audible.

This time, Tauriel did gasp. "_No_!" The clearing had been her only spot of freedom ever since she had been a child. It was the same one she had acidentally led Legolas to before she had been made Captain.

"Yes, Tauriel. I am sorry."

Tauriel shook her head, silent for several long seconds. "Very well. I am glad you made it here safely."

"The forest is so sick, Tauriel." Big gray eyes met her gaze unblinkingly.

"I know. It has been that way for a long time, now." Tauriel started the horse forward, sadness filling her at the mention of the woodland. "Come. I will check your mare for injuries, and then we can both report the Elvenking."

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><p><strong>First chapter over! And if you're worried about how little action there was, fear not! This chapter sets the ground work for many of the later chapters.<strong>

**I will be updating as often as possible.**

**I hope to see some familiar pen names!**

**R&R, please!**


	2. Gyldyril

**Chapter two! Thank you to all those who reviewed, followed, and faved :) I'm glad that y'all are enjoying it so far!**

**Attheturnofthetide, I can certainly feel for you! LOL!**  
><strong>Sol3bug, this is an ongoing mystery for both Tauriel and readers, so it could be many chapters :) I'm not sure if you've read So Be It, but that fic explains a lot more, since it is longer.<strong>  
><strong>Jedi Kay-Kenobi, yeah, well, I think we have that in this chapter...<strong>

**Please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors, I'm fighting my auto spell whenever I write on my phone, and this chapter was written almost completely so-darn laptop crashed. I think my hard drive finally met its end. Oh, well. It lasted seven years!**

**On to the story!**

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><p>Thranduil fixed Tauriel and Cahaldriel with an icy glare.<p>

"You mean to say," he rumbled, "that the spiders have yet another nest?"

"Yes, my lord," Tauriel said, bowing low. "I have destroyed that nest once already. I plan to remove it again soon, along with the one closer to the south."

"No," Thranduil snapped. "You will take a group of guards out by tomorrow and rid the forest of this filth." He turned to a servant, who was standing impassively against the wall. "Send for Legolas. Tell him it is of utmost importance that he comes immediately."

A muscle in Tauriel's cheek twitched slightly. Supressing a growl of annoyance, she tried to make him see what she was making at. "My lord," she said, straining to keep a strong hold on her temper, "forgive me for saying so, but I had planned to do it in a more... thorough way."

"You will obey my orders," the Elvenking told her icily.

Cahaldriel inhaled through her nose, clearly nervous. "My lord?" she asked in a slightly unsteady voice.

"What?" Thranduil snapped, back turned on them.

"I bring news from Rivendell," Cahaldriel continued.

This got the Elvenking's attention. "And?" he demanded.

"The dwarves are seeking the Lonely Mountain," Cahaldriel revealed, holding her chin high, even though she was trembling.

"What?!" Thranduil practically roared, making both elleths take a step or two backward.

"I am here, father," Legolas said, entering the room.

Thranduil had paled considerably, but Tauriel doubted if it was because of anything other than rage. She knew of the Elvenking's hatred of all dwarves.

The Elvenking ignored his son, who went to stand by Tauriel and Cahaldriel. "They dare," he growled, "to seek what is no longer theirs!" He turned away, broad shoulders stiff with anger.

Tauriel directed a glare on Legolas, who shrugged slightly.

"This is no mere fit of rage," Tauriel hissed. "What happened between him and the dwarves on the Lonely Mountain?"

Cahaldriel suddenly melted into the shadows, clearly ready to escape the room and leave the Elvenking's wrath behind.

Legolas shrugged again.

Tauriel, who had spent many long years schooling her frustration, successfully bit down the urge to slap him. "You must tell me," she said in a low and slightly urgent voice. "I have to know."

Legolas sighed, putting his head in his hands. "He will kill me," he moaned. "Very well, Tauriel. The dwarves refused him some jewels long ago. He has kept a grudge against them ever since." It was an extremely short version of what Legolas actually knew, but he hoped it would satisfy Tauriel.

"Oh," Tauriel said, suddenly remembering the tales about the flames consuming the dwarves' mountain. "And he refused to help them, didn't he?"

Legolas nodded, relieved.

Pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "This is even worse than I thought," Tauriel muttered under her breath. "Cahaldriel, come here!" she demanded.

Hesitantly, the elleth appeared again.

"Tell me," Tauriel snapped, "exactly what Lord Elrond told you. Now."

"Yes, Tauriel." Cahaldriel took a deep breath. "Lord Elrond said that the dwarves had a map, and that they were seeking a way into the Lonely Mountain. He suspects that they are trying to take back the Mountain. He said that they will likely be coming through the Greenwood on their way. There are thirteen, he said, and the wizard. And a halfling, I believe."

Tauriel fought the urge to slam her head against a wall. "Thank you," she growled. "Now, please leave."

Cahaldriel needed no further urging. Within seconds, she had disappeared.

Thranduil, still pale with anger, had turned back to them. "How many are there?" he hissed.

Tauriel once again fought her temper down. "Fourteen," she said calmly, thinking it best to omit the fact that one was a halfling. "And a wizard."

"Leave me," Thranduil commanded.

"Very well, my lord," Tauriel agreed, and left the Elvenking's presence.

Thranduil sat, in near darkness, for many hours.

Thinking.

And, he finally realized, he was afraid.

For this meant the start of an event he had always hoped would not come.

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><p>Tauriel marched down the stone steps to the cell where Gyldyril was being kept, boots slapping the floor firmly.<p>

She had made a habit of checking on the one particular prisoner that made a trickle of fear run down her spine.

_Gyldyril._

Traitor. Kin. Prisoner.

And as Captain, it was her duty to check that each prisoner was in their cell, and on most cases try and gain useful information from them.

Even if the prisoner was more likely to gain information from her than she from them.

Stopping before the iron bars seperating the prisoner from her, Tauriel stared at Gyldyril for several seconds. Although her eyes were closed, Tauriel knew what Gyldyril's eyes looked like.

She knew what every inch of her face looked like, and not by choice. It haunted her nightmares.

White hair, tangled and matted; slanted green-blue eyes, and most recognisable, the high cheek bones and full lips.

An older, much more ragged version of herself.

It was a chilling thought.

Tauriel hesitated, debating on whether or not to wake Gyldyril, then snapped, "Prisoner! Wake up!"

Gyldyril flew forward, nearly ramming her head into the bars. Snarling, she gripped the bars, obviously demented.

Tauriel took an involuntary step backward, then composed herself.

Gyldyril bared her teeth, then calmed slightly. "Hello, child," she sneered, obviously recognizing Tauriel.

"Hello, prisoner," Tauriel sneered right back.

Gyldyril stared at Tauriel for several heartbeats, and then fell backward, insane laughter rattling out of her throat. "Oh, child," she wheezed, "you truly think you run things, don't you?

Determined to keep her composure, Tauriel just looked at the prisoner.

"Oh, yes, you do," Gyldyril laughed. Her expression changed, and suddenly there was a new glint to her eyes. Her voice softened as she continued. "I pity you. You are falling into the same trap I did. Power leads to your inevitable fall." She edged forward to the front of her cell, eyes huge in her sunken face.

Tauriel stared in shock at the elf who was her own blood, who had, she was sure, once loved and lost.

Just like Audriel.

Tauriel licked her lips nervously, taken off guard for the first time in many years.

Taking several steps forward, right to the door of the cell, she looked at the broken, bitter elf in front of her.

Lord Elrond's words rushed back to her, words spoken what seemed like an eternity ago.

_You will fall from the height of your life, and become forgotten by even those who loved you. You will fall, and become one with all that you have tried to fight; and then, when all hope has left you, you will find, once more, the light, and be taken from Shadow to rise again and seek a new life._

Suddenly dizzy, Tauriel gasped for air, and sank down onto the stone steps.

Gyldyril looked right back at her, a wild smile playing on her chapped lips.

Still staring at her kin, Tauriel saw a sliver of sanity underneath the darkness marring Gyldyril's very being.

"You had a heart once," she found herself saying out loud.

Something washed across Gyldyril's face, so raw and full of emotion that Tauriel unconciously glanced away.

"They say I did," Gyldyril whispered hoarsely. "They say I loved her. They say I loved him, too, but I do not remember..." She trailed off, staring into the air.

Tauriel swallowed, once, twice, and fought to control her emotions.

"Who?" she finally whispered.

Gyldyril stared at Tauriel again, eyes roving over her face desperately. Her lips parted, and she spoke. "I...cannot remember." She reached out with one withered hand and forced it between two bars, touching Tauriel's cheek.

Tauriel flinched, resisting the urge to pull away. _She cannot hurt you_, she reminded herself. It was a feeble reminder. This was the elf that had almost suceeded in killing her.

"She...was like _you_," Gyldyril whispered.

She suddenly jerked away again, turning her back on Tauriel.

"I can't remember!" she wailed, huge sobs wracking her emaciated form.

Tauriel swallowed again, hard. She felt an odd connection to this elf, traitor though she was, who had lost so much-and gained nothing. Helplessly, she watched as Gyldyril slammed her head onto the stone walls. Soon, blood was streaming down her face and into her mouth.

_There is nothing I can do_, Tauriel realized, horrified and deeply pained. _Nothing I can do_.

Trembling, Tauriel continued her rounds.

_Remember,_ she reminded herself, _nothing will change the fact that she is a traitor._

_But, was it her choice?_

_Or was it all another lie, woven out of evil's webs_?

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><p>Thranduil stood.<p>

"Send for the Captain. I have made my choice."

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><p><strong>So, there we have it. Chapter two. <strong>

**I brought Gyldyril back into the story because she is an important part of Tauriel's past. She will also be in later chapters, as I have something planned...**

**Also, if anyone remembers Laergulel from So Be It, she will be showing up soon...**

**I couldn't resist spoiling that.**

**Let's keep those reviews comin' :)) More reviews equals faster updates!**


	3. Cry for Help

**We are entering the DoS time period! :)) This chapter is short, but the next one is reeeaallly long-one of my longest ever. **

**Also, I did not put any Elvish in this chapter. I'm not planning on doing any, since you would assume that the elves speak in their language most of the time any way, so I'm sorry if that is a disappointment. My life is insane right now, and if I did decided to translate it, I'm worried that I will not be able to find the time. So, for now, no long parts of Elvish. :(**

**Thank you, reviewers, followers, and faves! I'm on a time crunch right now, but I'll do my best to respond to reviews in the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"Yes, my lord?" Tauriel asked, standing rigidly in front of him.<p>

Thranduil turned towards her, face expressionless. "I have come to a decision," he declared calmly, all traces of his previous anger gone.

"_Yes_, my lord?" Tauriel said again, placing an emphasis on the first word.

Thranduil looked at her out of one grey eye. "You will destroy the nest as ordered. This is not the first time the spiders have inhabited that part of the forest. Why, then, do you seem to be ignoring the problem?"

Tauriel clenched her jaw. "My lord," she said coldly, "they are spawning in the south. Until their source is destroyed, they will continue to fester in the forest. I have been sending guards into the woodland often, and they have destroyed all nests they find. I have been doing my best to keep the forest clean from the foul creatures."

Thranduil looked at her again, and for a moment Tauriel thought his left eye turned white and milky. She blinked, and his eye was back to normal.

"You will personally escort your guards each time they go out to cleanse the woodland," he said icily. "I will not have our lands inhabited by that filth."

A muscle twitched underneath Tauriel's eye, and she fought the urge to open her mouth and say everything she had been holding back for so long.

"Of course, my lord," she whispered.

She was Captain of the Guard, and she did not have that choice.

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><p>Several weeks later, Tauriel was walking among the ranks of her best guards. There was a particularly large nest, and she was aprehensive about the fact that, according to Lord Elrond, the dwarves should be passing through Mirkwood any time now.<p>

Everyone was on edge. After Cahaldriel had left, the forest had deteriorated even more. Tauriel, in particular, felt it more than the others did.

The trees were silent, eerily so. Every time she walked the woodland, she was reminded of her faliure, and what it had done to the trees.

It kept her going, though. She was fighting with everything she could.

The group of roughly thirty guards stood, Legolas and Leniyaen among them. The latter had his customary scowl on his face, and was slouching slightly.

"Our goal is to destroy the nest," Tauriel called out, voice ringing through the room. She was watching Leniyaen carefully, because the elf was not the best at following direct orders.

He was, however, one of her best archers, and was fairly good with a sword as well-the product of many hours of drills and lectures on Tauriel's part.

As she had feared, Leniyaen stepped forward, a mocking look marring his features.

"What is the use?" he sneered. "We have destroyed countless nests, and each time you send us back out with more orders."

Tauriel looked at him for a second, making a quick descision. "Demoted to Keeper of the Keys for one month," she told him calmly, knowing in her heart he was right.

Leniyaen threw up his hands slightly, and stomped away. The others stepped closer to each other to fill in the space he had left.

_Sometimes_, Tauriel thought, _I wonder if he is so ornery on purpose, to get out of work, or if he really cannot help it_?

"As I was saying," she continued, "our primary goal is to destroy the nests. However, if you find anything out of the ordinary, please report back to me." She turned crisply, gesturing for the others to follow her.

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><p>Tauriel stood, looking out among the seemingly endless sea of cracked and wasted woodland. The tops of the trees were still bright, safe from the evil below them.<p>

Distantly, she acknowledged her guards spreading out, dispatching the odd spider here and there.

She ducked below a branch, then fell back a step.

Someone had been there first.

Dead spiders.

_Everywhere_.

And tracks, dwarf tracks.

Tauriel stumbled backward, thinking of what they must have faced. The fear, the fact that it was likely several were dead.

She stood, looking out at the mess of spiders and webs and branches, shock shooting through her like poison, mixed with compassion and sadness. She did not share Thranduil's hatred of dwarves.

And vaguely, she heard a voice. Whispering.

_Tauriel_...

* * *

><p>Legolas saw them, a group of the disgusting creatures surrounded by spiders.<p>

He knew that his first goal was to kill the spiders, but with so many well-trained guards, he feared more their possible escape than the spiders.

He grabbed a string of spider silk, spinning down after the spider. In seconds, he had crushed that particular spider, sliding under another, slitting its abdomen as he drew an arrow and nocked his bow.

Regaining his feet, Legolas stared down the arrow into the face of a scraggly, weary looking dwarf with grey streaked hair. Other members of the guard suddenly appeared, bows nocked and drawn, all aimed at the dwarves.

The fool tried to block his arrow, but Legolas did not shoot.

Not yet, at least.

"Do not think I won't kill you dwarf," he said coldly, drawing back his bowstring even more. "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

><p>Tauriel drew her dagger, sending it spinning into the gaping maw of one spider while she loosed her arrows into several others. They were streaming into the clearing faster now, and she was begining to loose her cool.<p>

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she fought desperately for a foothold on the blood-slicked log she was standing on, boots covered in spider entrails.

There is no one here to save me, she thought, and reached deep into her mind for her connection to the trees.

_Please_, she begged. _Help me_!

There was nothing, save the moan of dead branches brushing against each other.

Sweat poured down Tauriel's face as she jumped, desperately, for a branch a good four feet above her, her only chance.

Captain she might be, but even the best had their limits. And she could not take thirty spiders by herself, on the ground.

Her fingers grabbed desperately for a handhold, and as one finger hooked over the branch, Tauriel cried out in pain as it supported her weight for half a second. Then she had both hands on the branch, and had hauled herself up completely.

Tauriel shook her hand, biting her tongue so hard it bled as her figer popped back into place. Relief was instant, but not complete.

She checked her quiver, looked at her limited supply of arrows, and made her descision.

No one was coming to help her.

She had only one choice, and that was to fight.

Minutes, perhaps even hours later, she did not know. The spiders were dead, and she was free to leave. Wiping her daggers clean, she started making her way to the clearing the main nest of spiders was in.

Then she heard the scream, sending a chill running from her scalp down her backbone.

"Aaahh! _Help_!"

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><p><strong>I know, I know, another cliffhanger. Please, don't kill me yet!<strong>

**I will do my best to update soon!**

**As always, reviews are love :)**


	4. Dwarves

**And here we have it, CHAPTER FOUR! Yay for a nice, long chapter, finally! Thank you, reviewers, followers, and faves!**

**I don't think I received any questions except this one, please forgive me if I missed yours. **

**Is it Kili? Well, I think after this chapter that will be quite obvious :)**

**Moving on...**

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><p>"<em>Kili<em>!" someone screamed.

Tauriel flew into action. She did not fully understand what her legs and arms were doing, but within seconds she was running along a branch towards the source of the screams.

Adrenaline over-took her once more, and all she could see was the spiders, the only thoughts in her mind ones of destroying them.

As she jumped on top of one spider, Tauriel loosed an arrow into another, her movements calculated as she judged where she would jump, and as she did so, rolling towards the spider and drawing one of her daggers at the same time. Stabbing the furious spider, she whirled and started slashing. Her blade sang as it encountered fangs, and the sound made her head pound.

Turning, Tauriel shot an arrow into the spider holding the dwarf, knowing full well that one arrow may not be enough if her aim was not perfectly true. The dwarf snapped around in surprise, but she did not see its face.

Preparing to shoot another one, Tauriel watched as the beast sank down, lifeless.

Another spider came scuttling up behind her, and Tauriel spun once more, blocking the snapping jaws as she tried to finish off the spider.

A voice cut through the daze, and some part of her knew it was the dwarf.

"Throw me a dagger! _Quick_!" it-he?-called, a note of panic in his voice.

Tauriel spoke, her voice strong. "If you think I'm giving you a weapon, dwarf, you're mistaken!" She finished off the spider, and then, halfway turning, sent her dagger whistling through the air.

It met its mark, sinking hilt-deep into the beast's eyes.

The spider screeched, then sank down, lifeless.

Tauriel turned fully, a half-smile on her face as she looked at the lifeless spiders around her, and then at the dwarf, who took one last look at the spider and stared at her in...shock? She did not know.

Tauriel turned the dwarf over to another guard, and went to retrieve her weapons.

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><p>"Search them," Legolas called out, the little pack of dwarves huddled together, surrounded by guards.<p>

Choosing one to search himself, Legolas started searching for any sort of weapon. Reaching inside the fat dwarf's coat-if it could even be called that anymore, he thought contempously-and drew out a small, flat silver box.

"_B'ey_!" the dwarf growled, "give it back! That's _private_!"

Legolas finished opening it, only to find that it contained two crudely drawn pictures.

"Who is this?" he asked, disgust dripping off his voice. "Your brother?"

"That is my _wife_!" the dwarf spat furiously.

Turning it slightly, Legolas eyed the other picture. "And what is this horrid creature?" he asked, wanting to cut deep. "A Goblin-mutant?"

The dwarf's tone of voice changed, softening slightly. "That's my wee lad, Gimli."

Legolas merely looked at him, then raised an eyebrow.

As other guards continued to search, Legolas turned to Tauriel. "Are the spiders dead?" he demanded, making sure to speak in Elvish.

"Yes, but more will come," Tauriel replied, eyes on the dwarves.

Legolas frowned slightly, confusion written on his face. This was his first mission in many months, and he was not as familiar with the spiders as Tauriel and many of the other guards were.

Tauriel dragged her eyes off of the prisoners. "They're growing bolder," she explained, voice low.

Several minutes later, Tauriel had disappeared again and another guard was presenting him with a sword.

Legolas looked it over with something akin to awe. "This is an ancient Elvish blade," he said, in Elvish. He lifted it, voice rising. "Forged by my kin." Contempt towards the dwarves flooded him, and he lowered it towards the apparent leader. "Where did you get this?" he demanded in the common tongue.

"It was given to me," the dwarf answered, voice low and rough. It was all Legolas could do not to send an arrow flying into him right then and there.

Legolas looked at the dwarf, then spun the sword around, lowering it before the dwarf's throat.

"Not just a thief, but a liar as well," he said in a low voice dripping with contempt.

He held the sword there for barely a second more, then flung it aside with a ring of metal and shouted an order.

Tauriel slipped up beside him, but he ignored her. Her heart was far to soft to deal with these..._criminals_.

The guards started to push the prisoners towards home.

* * *

><p>As he and Tauriel followed the rest of the group through the gates, Legolas called out for them to close the gates.<p>

Tauriel looked back, her eyes hardening. As Captain, that was her job.

Once again, Legolas ignored her. Waiting until she had passed through, he started to follow her-and stopped.

Something was there, he could feel it. But looking back behind him, there was nothing.

Chilled, Legolas lengthened his stride as the gates shut behind him.

His father was waiting for a report.

* * *

><p>"<em>Well<em>?" the Elvenking demanded eyes on his son.

Legolas gave him a cursory bow. "The dwarves have come, _Ada_," he said. "It is as Lord Elrond said. His messenger gave us fair warning."

Thranduil froze. "And?" he spat.

Legolas gave him more information. "There are only thirteen, and we were not able to find any wizard what-so-ever." He did not add that none of them were keen to look for a wizard, they had done nothing more than scan the area quickly.

The Elvenking sighed. "So it has begun," he murmured to himself.

"Excuse me, father?" Legolas asked in confusion.

"What?" he snapped.

"I-I merely was wondering what it was you said," Legolas stammered. Even after all these years, he was still slightly intimidated by his father.

"It is none of your concern," Thranduil replied, voice softer than before.

"Of course, _Ada_," Legolas said, dipping his head again and taking his leave.

His father stopped him as he mounted the stairs.

"What of Tauriel?" he asked both curiosity and apprehension causing him to ask the question.

Legolas turned back, and his face had softened at the mention of Tauriel. Thranduil's eyes roved shrewdly over his face, and there was an answer to his question there.

"What do you mean?" Legolas asked carefully.

"Exactly what I said," Thranduil said with annoyance. "What of Tauriel? Did she fight well?"

Legolas's eyes were bright. "Very well," he confirmed. "I did not have a chance to watch her, but she must have slain at least thirty spiders."

"And how did she handle the dwarves?" Thranduil asked calmly.

Legolas hesitated. "She did not handle them," he finally replied. "I took care of them for her."

"Why?" Thranduil demanded.

Once again, he paused, fighting to find a good answer. "She does not have the heart to deal with them," Legolas said.

"What does that mean?"

"She is young," Legolas continued. "She is compassionate, overly so. She risked her life to save one of them today."

Thranduil's eyes widened. He had placed so much trust in this young elf, and if she failed to perform his own hopes would be crushed. Tauriel could not fully understand the dwarves and their quest, or she would not have done what she had.

"How old is she?" he finally asked.

Legolas's expression shifted from his blank mask to surprise, then shock, and back again.

"You mean you do not know?" he exclaimed.

"Yes," Thranduil snapped, then realized that his answer was confusing. "I do not know," he clarified.

Legolas's eyes widened slightly.

Thranduil look at him, and irritation shot through him. "I am the Elvenking," he reminded his son in a low voice. "I have many things on my mind."

"I - of course, my lord," Legolas said firmly. "She is roughly six hundred and twenty years old."

Surprised that Legolas could so precisely name Tauriel's age, something that he himself could not do, Thranduil once again searched his son's face.

What he found there sent chills racing down his spine.

_He loved her._

She was a Silvan.

And even if Legolas was not yet aware of his feelings toward the Captain, sooner or later they would surface in full force.

"She is quite pretty," Thranduil said after a long pause.

"Indeed," his son agreed amiably.

"Her hair and eyes are quite unusual," he continued.

Legolas shook his head slightly. "They run in her family line. Or so she tells me."

_They run in her family line._ Suddenly, Thranduil felt sick to his stomach, fear for his son his dominant emotion.

He would not stand by and watch Legolas's heart be broken as his had almost been by Audriel. This...this _sickness_ that ran in her blood would not taint his own son. So many of her ancestors had betrayed him, it had taken an enormous amount of willpower to look past what others had done, and look at what Tauriel herself had accomplished.

_Audriel._

_Gyldyril._

_Laergulel._

His head pounded.

"When the Captain has finished with the prisoners," Thranduil finally said, his voice strong, "tell her that I am waiting."

Legolas bowed and exited.

Thranduil, however, stayed, head ringing with words spoken long ago, his heart aching, stinging with emotions as three words repeated themselves over and over.

_Audriel._

_Gyldyril._

_Laergulel._

And finally, he unconsciously added a fourth.

_Tauriel._

* * *

><p>Tauriel, shoving her prisoners into their cells, did not know.<p>

She did not know that this was the beginning.

The beginning of her fall.

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><p><strong>Next chapter, we have the famous "do not give him hope where there is none" scene! I'll do my best to update within a week!<strong>

**R&R, please!**


	5. Elvenking

**Chapter five! Yet another shorter one, unfortunately. Thank you, reviewers, followers and faves! Your support means the world to me.**

**Also, just a heads-up: I will not be updating as frequently due to my life being insane right now. I will try and make up for it with nice, long chapters though :)**

**Also, for those of you who might be interested, I have started another fic about Tauriel. It is set after the LotR.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Tauriel led one of the dwarves down the steps, opening the heavy metal doors and forcing him to step inside. She could hear the protests of the other prisoners as they tried to fight her guards.<p>

The dwarf she was dealing with, however, had presented no fight at all. Somehow, she knew he was the one she had saved from the spiders.

"Aren't you going to search me?" he suddenly asked, forcing Tauriel out of her reverie.

Tauriel looked down at him, digging for a stinging insult.

"I could have anything down my trousers," the dwarf continued.

For one brief second, Tauriel wanted to laugh. A heartbeat later, though, the impulse was gone, and she had her answer.

"Or nothing," she replied, raising her eyebrows as she closed the door.

Tauriel looked at him for a second longer, then strode away. She could feel eyes on her back.

As she mounted the final steps, Legolas stopped her.

"Why does the dwarf stare at you, Tauriel?" he demanded.

Tauriel looked at him sharply. "Who can say?" she asked, matching his question with one of her own. She lowered her eyes, searching for a remark as payback for what Legolas had done earlier. Remembering his past jealousy, she said, "He is quite tall for a dwarf."

Her eyes flashed to Legolas's face and back down, searching for any reaction.

There was none, so she continued. "Don't you think?" She continued on her way.

"Taller than some," Legolas called after her, "but no less ugly."

Tauriel allowed herself a grim smile as she made her way to the Elvenking's chambers.

Legolas, however, stayed, watching the dwarf who was obviously trying to gain Tauriel's attention.

The dwarf glared at him.

Legolas narrowed his eyes.

That particular prisoner would do with watching.

* * *

><p>Tauriel made her way down the maze of stairs, arches and pathways until she had reached the Elvenking's chambers. She knew that he had tried to interrogate the leader of the dwarves, but had had no success. She expected him to be in a bad temper, and was steeling her temper.<p>

"I know you're there," she heard him say. "Why do you linger in the shadows?"

"I was coming to report to you," Tauriel said.

Stepping down the final steps, she gave him a small bow, half listening as he spoke.

"I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not two moons past," Thranduil said, and she repressed a sigh of annoyance.

It was always like this. He would give her an order, she would follow it, and then, sometimes only days later, he would be demanding why she had not done it.

They were forever going in circles.

She looked at him for half a second, then started pacing. "We cleared the forest as ordered, my lord. But more spiders keep coming up from the South. They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur." She paused, about to ask the question she had been asking for years now. "If we could kill them at their source..." She stopped again, already knowing the answer.

Thranduil looked at her, eyes cold. "That fortress lies beyond our borders. Keep our lands clear of those foul creatures, that is your task." His voice rose as he spoke, and Tauriel could feel anger rolling off of him in waves.

She ignored it, trying once again to drive her point home. "And when we drive them off, what then? Will they not spread to other lands?"

"Other lands are not my concern," Thranduil said in a low voice. "The fortunes off the world will rise and fall, but here in this kingdom we will endure." He stopped, and looked to the side. Like his son, Thranduil could feel something. His eyes roved, but there was nothing.

Tauriel bowed her head again, spinning on her heels. There was nothing left for her to do. She had tried.

Dragging his attention away from the pathway, Thranduil stopped her.

"Legolas said you fought well today," he said.

Tauriel stopped again, head still lowered. An emotion she could not place flooded her, and she smiled slightly. To hear this, from the mouth of the Elvenking, meant that she truly had fought well.

Thranduil dipped his chin, a half-smile playing on his lips. "He has grown very fond of you."

Tauriel's eyes widened in shock, shock at what he was implying, and perhaps a little bit of fear as well. Her hand went unconsciously to her side, but there was no dagger there.

Groping for an answer, Tauriel's voice quavered as she finally replied.

"I-I assure you, my lord, Legolas thinks of me as nothing more than a Captain of the Guard." But deep down, she admitted to herself that over time his actions towards her had changed. She prayed that the Elvenking would not sense that.

"Perhaps he did once," Thranduil said in a low voice. "Now, I am not so sure."

Once again, Tauriel was left grasping for words.

She did not understand, and when she did not understand she asked questions. "I do not think that you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf," she said, words halting.

"No, you are right, I would not." Thranduil's words were harsh, and they struck home.

This was as bad as when she had been young, teased because of her flaming hair and her Silvan blood.

She had wanted him to say that he would have made an exception, anything but the brutal truth: She was not of Sindarin blood, and because of that he would write her off without a second glance.

_I do not care,_ she told herself. But she did. For some strange reason, she found she did care.

"Still, he cares about you," Thranduil conceded. She heard a slight movement of fabric, and knew that he was likely looking at her now. "Do not give him hope where there is none."

Tauriel raised her head, and swallowed. She would not. She did not want to.

* * *

><p>Awake that night, Tauriel played with her dagger. The metal was razor sharp on one edge, freshly sharpened, and she was careful.<p>

Thoughts of the dwarves flooded her mind as she started at the weapon in her hands.

Something told her that what Legolas had told her was far from the truth. That there was more to the story.

Gyldyril's words. They played in her head, spinning webs like the spiders she loathed so much.

_You are falling into the same trap I did._

Tauriel laid the weapon aside, sheathing it._ If only I knew more_, she thought. _I have been so alone my whole life, I know almost nothing about many of my ancestors._

_Power leads to your inevitable fall._

She shivered. Gyldyril's words were coming far too close to what Lord Elrond had told her for her taste.

_They say I did. They say I loved her...they say I loved him, too..._

Loved who? Who was she?

_She was...like _you_._

Audriel? Or someone else, some other ancestor that had been woven into her past by Gyldyril's actions?

_I can't remember!_

_Remember what?_ Tauriel asked herself desperately.

She had run Gyldyril's words through her head so many times, now. Each time, she had drawn nothing but a blank.

Thranduil's order.

_At least_, she told herself,_ I can understand that. His message was very, very clear._

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><p><strong>As always, reviews are love!<strong>

**'Till next chapter!**


	6. Blood

**Finally, an update! Thanks, y'all!**

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><p>Laergulel stared at her raw and bloodied hands, eyes clouded over.<p>

She no longer felt any real pain.

It had faded as more time passed, going from burning agony to a dull ache, constantly there and always throbbing.

She had but a few days left. She could feel her life force fading, and her one wish was to warn the girl.

She gripped the bars of her cage, shifting her gaze from her hands to the very heart of Dol Guldor.

Shivers shook her emaciated frame, desperation her only nourishment.

Laergulel scraped at the dried blood covering one side of her face, wincing as the six-inch cut on one side of her scalp and cheekbone was re-opened. Blood soon flowed freely down her face and neck, and the old elf's head spun.

_I have lost so much blood_, she thought vaguely. _I cannot hold on much longer._

Glazed eyes rolled back in her head as she sank to the floor of her cramped cage. Panic, always there, had broken through her meager walls and was now flooding her, an unstoppable wave.

A scream tore from her throat, shredding the barely-healed skin like her clothing had shredded long ago.

Blood streamed into her mouth, salty and metallic. So desperate was she for any liquid that she swallowed it eagerly.

She crouched down, again crying out hoarsely as her broken ribs pressed against her skin.

Slowly, as consciousness fled, she heard the snarls of the Wargs as they fought. _Soon_, she thought, _I will be their food_.

Darkness over-took her.

* * *

><p><em>"I am dying."<em>

_The words echoed through the air, and Tauriel turned._

_Everything was different. She was in a clearing, surrounded by green grass and thriving trees and shrubs._

_Something told her that this was the Greenwood when it had been healthy._

_Someone stepped forward, and Tauriel took several steps back, reaching for where her weapons would be._

_There was nothing._

_"It is but a dream," the figure said, and on the long brown cloak there was a darker stain._

_"What do you want?" Tauriel cried, something about the person in front of her unnerving her. Her whole body was tensed, coiled like a snake about to strike._

_"I come to warn you," the figure said, and pulled back the hood of the cloak._

_Tauriel smothered a scream as she took in the elf's face, broken and bruised, but yet teribly, heartbreakingly beautiful. Red hair, ragged and matted, spread across her shoulders, and the deep-__set green eyes were ones that looked back at her in the mirror each day._

_"They are rising," the elf said, urgency lacing her words. "They are coming, and darkness will rise again. _He is not gone_!"_

_Panic threatened to take control, and Tauriel gasped a question._

_The elf paid her no attention. "They are coming!" she repeated. "You are falling even now. Your kin have always done so, and you will be no different. Shield yourself!"_

_"What are you saying?" Tauriel cried out in confusion._

_The elf stepped forward, close enough that Tauriel could see every bruise flowering across her skin. Blood streamed across her face. _

_"You will fall," the elf hissed. "To save everything, you must __sacrifice all. I fell, and I never rose again. I pray you will rise from the ashes of the past. They will have need of you." She stepped back again, and now her face was fading. "I have fulfilled my final_  
><em>wish."<em>

_"Wait!" Tauriel gasped. "Who are you?"_

_Darkness swirled around the figure, obscuring her view. "I am known by all as a traitor." She faded even more. "Remember, and beware. Even those who you trust may turn against you." The __words were barely a whisper, broken with pain and longing._

_She was gone, and suddenly the forest burst into flames._

_Tauriel cried out as fire eveloped her, the crackle and pop of burning wood filling her ears._

* * *

><p>Tauriel woke up screaming in pure terror, the sweat on her brow icy. Her whole body was shaking.<p>

Slowly, she calmed. Her dream was distant now, barely a memory. But her heart was aching, the scab over her longing torn off along with the last little bits of her serenity. Now, blood ran freely in her soul.

Someone was pounding on the door.

Trembling, Tauriel rolled off her bed, narrowly avoiding her dagger lying on the floor. I must have dropped it when I fell asleep, she thought.

Wearily, Tauriel made her way over to the door. Elves did not require much sleep, but she felt as if she could lay down and sleep for several weeks.

"_What_?" she said coldly, opening it and seeing Legolas standing on the other side.

His gaze swept over her, taking in everything. "You were screaming."

Shocked that she could be heard through the stone, Tauriel shook her head. "All is well. It was but a dream."

"I do not believe you," Legolas said stubbornly.

"I know you do not, and I do not care," Tauriel said impatiently. "What is it? Surely you did not come all this way for nothing." Her tone was rough.

Legolas blinked. "I came to appologize."

"_What_?"

"I am sorry for what I did," he continued. "I had no right."

Tauriel shook her head slowly, surprised. "_I_...thank you." She turned, leaving the door open.

Legolas followed her into the room, uninvited. Tauriel looked at him sharply as he did so, then dismissed it.

"What is this?" Legolas asked, lifting one of her daggers off the bed.

Tauriel stiffened. "Those are my daggers," she answered icily. "I was sharpening them." She did not add that she had fallen asleep while doing so. The fact was both humiliating and worrying.

Legolas spun the dagger on his palm, and Tauriel's eyes followed the movements. Finally, she could take no more and stepped forward to claim the weapon from him.

"If you please," she said stiffly.

Legolas looked at her oddly, then shook his head. "You are tired," he said, moving closer to touch her shoulder. "I am sorry that I woke you."

Tauriel shuddered against her will, backing away. Recollection of her dream came rushing back, and she swallowed. "You did not wake me," she whispered. To herself, she added, _But I am glad you did_.

Legolas glanced at the dagger on her hand, looked at its twin still lying on the bed, and put the pieces together. "You fell asleep!" His tone was shocked.

Tauriel's face hardened. She wanted to deny it, but she could not bring herself to lie to her longtime friend. Biting her tongue, Tauriel sat on her bed.

Legolas sat down as well.

Tauriel opened her mouth to say a scathing comment, but promptly shut it. She did not have the energy to fight with him. Not now.

"What are you doing?" she asked wearily.

Legolas flashed her a grin. "Sitting down."

Tauriel rubbed her eyes. "_Obviously_. Anything else?"

He pursed his lips. "Perhaps I am worried that you are not getting sufficent rest."

Tauriel sat bolt upright, annoyance replacing her exhaustion. "Now, listen here, I will rest when I want to and not before," she snapped. _And I dearly want to sleep now_. "So do not tell me what to do!"

Legolas eyed her with a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Perhaps you are not as tired as I thought." He grinned again. "But then, you have energy for arguing at any time."

Tauriel muttered something in Elvish under her breath, and Legolas opened his mouth to argue. She cut him off. "Go away," she said crossly. "Yes, I'm tired, but I cannot sleep when _someone is talking_." She glared at him.

"Very well." He stood.

Tauriel gave a short sigh, watching Legolas as he moved towards the door . She tried to fight her exhaustion, eyelids fluttering, but within seconds sleep had overtaken her.

Legolas stood for several seconds, watching Tauriel as she slept. Her red hair pooled around her, and she was still clutching the hilt of her dagger. For one second, Legolas had an urge to brush a loose strand behind her ear.

He shook his head. _Perhaps I am in need of rest as well_, he thought.

* * *

><p>Lord Elrond stared sightlessly out of a window.<p>

"She is going to fail," Arwen insisted from behind him. "Have you not seen it?"

Elrond turned and glared at his daughter. "I will not stop the chain of events that have started already. She made her choice. I cannot say if it was right or wrong, not yet."

Arwen opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. Color spread over her pale skin. She would not reveal Tauriel's secret. "_Ada_...I cannot believe she has turned her back on this fight."

"She has," Lord Elrond said bitterly. "Thranduil has confirmed it."

All color was washed from Arwen's skin as she closed her eyes in mingled shock and horror. She couldn't-wouldn't-believe that, after so much, Tauriel had given up.

_She is strong_, Arwen thought. _Surely, she has hope left_.

She bowed her head.

_It is spreading. With every day she stands and accepts the evil in that land, she is ruining herself. I pray she will make a better choice. It could save us all._

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><p><strong>Also, what do you feel my biggest fault as a writer is? I would love to hear your opinions, good or bad!<strong>

**R&R, please!**


	7. Escape

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I have received several reviews asking about longer chapters-I will do my best to make them longer.**

**The next chapter will probably be up in about two weeks.**

**Thanks, reviewers, followers, and faves!**

* * *

><p>Tauriel sighed bitterly as sounds of laughter filled the air around her. She would not-could not-take this any longer.<p>

Glancing around, she saw that, as usual, no one was paying attention to her.

Another sighed escaped her, but this time it was of relief.

She slipped out, making her way down to the dungeons. She wanted to question the dwarves, and there would be no better time than now, when everyone was at the feast.

As Tauriel passed the many doors and wondered exactly who they were, she thought about what she was going to ask the dwarf that appeared to be their leader.

One of the dwarves bared his teeth at her as she passed.

Tauriel ignored him.

As she was about to pass yet another door, she noticed that the dark-haired dwarf inside was playing with a small stone.

Tauriel stopped. "The stone in your hand, she demanded clearly, "what is it?"

"It is a talisman," the dwarf answered, his voice rough.

Tauriel took a half step forward, a question flitting iin her eyes.

"A powerfull spell lies upon it," the dwarf said, his gaze burning onto hers. He glanced away again, looking at the stone. "If any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed." He held the stone up.

Tauriel drew back slightly, more than a little annoyed at herself for doing so. She looked icily at the dwarf for another heartbeat, then prepared to move on.

"Or not," the dwarf said suddenly.

Tauriel stopped, surprised. She did not think a dwarf would deign to speak to an elf any longer than possible.

"Depending on whether you believe in that kind of thing," the dwarf said quickly. "It's just a token." He held it up again, chuckling nervously.

Tauriel watched him, a smile playing on her lips. The dwarf met her gaze nervously, then glanced away again.

"A rune stone," he said in a low voice. "My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise." His voice had a hint of emotion in it, and Tauriel found that she wanted to know more about this dark haired archer.

"What promise?" she said, her first words since she had first spoken.

Dark eyes met hers. "That I would come back to her."

Tauriel smiled, dropping her gaze as saddness tugged at her. She would have sacrificed almost anything to know her own mother. She swallowed as her throat grew tight, and compassion for this dwarf welled up inside her.

"She worries," he continued. "She thinks I'm reckless."

Tauriel smiled again, surprised at herself. "Are you?" she asked in a low voice.

The dwarf shook his head as he tossed the stone high once more. "_Nah_." As he reached for it, his fingers missed their mark and the stone went tumbling down onto the rocks beneath Tauriel's feet.

Quickly, Tauriel spun and stopped the rolling stone with her boot. She heard a rustle of movement behind her as she bent, picking it up carefully. As she held it up to the light, a burst of laughter floated down to them.

"Sounds like quite a party you're having up there," the dwarf murmured, his words an unspoken question.

"It is _Mereth e-n Gilith_," Tauriel answered, her voice reverent. "The Feast of Starlight." She paced along the pathway, annoyance that this particular feast was so loud filtering through into her actions. "All light is sacred to the Eldar," she continued, "but Wood Elves love best the light of the stars." She did not add that, these days, many were lucky if they ever got a glimpse of them. It had been much time since the Elvenking had feasted out in the woodland.

"I always thought it is a cold light," the dwarf said from behind her, face pressed to the bars.

Tauriel turned, slowly, shocked.

"Remote, and far away," he continued, voice low and soft. His dark eyes stared out into space.

Tauriel turned around fully, taking two quick strides towards him. "It is memory," she said, her own voice calm even though annoyance was shooting through her veins like fire at this dwarf's nonsense. "Precious and pure." She kept her voice low, but her vehmence bled through. She could see the dwarf's eyes darting, and knew that her point had been made. She smiled, trying to soften her words, rolling the stone in her hand as she glanced down at it. "Like your promise." She held her hand out, palm facing upward.

The dwarf glanced at her in disbeleif for a moment, but took it from her all the same. Tauriel found herself wanting to tell him more, needed to release some of the building emotions inside her. She half-turned, eyes searching, then glanced back down at him.

"I have walked there sometimes," she whispered. "Beyond the forest and up into the night." She turned away, fearing the expression she knew was playing across her face. "I have seen the world fall away...and the white light of forever fill the air." Her voice was soft, so low that she was afraid the dwarf could not hear her, and tears glittered in the corners of her eyes.

"I saw a fire moon once," the dwarf said.

Tauriel blinked twice, and turned back to him.

"It rose over the pass near Dunland. Huge. Red and gold, it was. It filled the sky."

Tauriel frowned slightly, her quest for information fresh in her mind as she slowly lowered herself onto the stone steps.

"We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin. They were trading in silverwork for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left. And then it appeared. This huge fire moon, lighting our path..."

Tauriel leaned slightly to the side, smiling. Prisoner this dwarf might be, but she knew she had found a friend.

* * *

><p>Far above them, face stern, Legolas stared down at the dwarf as he spoke, anger boiling in him<p>

_Tauriel does not yet understand_, he told himself. _I must protect her from that._

Deep down, he knew there was another reason.

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><p>Days later, Tauriel turned with a start at a startled guard's yell.<p>

Second later, he rushed up to her, panting. "_They are gone_!" the elf gasped, clutching his side. "Gone, without a trace."

Tauriel flung herself forward, rage pouring through her. Leniyaen.

"_Where_ is the Keeper of the Keys!" she shouted, moving quickly down the stone paths.

_ They are gone_, she thought. _Gone, and with them every scrap of leverage over the Elvenking I have_.

"Follow me," she spat out at the small group of guards gathering behind her as she dashed headlong for the wine-cellar.

_He was supposed to be making sure the wine barrels go through_, she thought. _Good Eru, let him be there! I will remove him from service so fast..._

Her vengeful thoughts did nothing to quench her anger.

Within seconds, she had arrived at the wine cellar, and as she threw herself down the final steps.

Just in time to hear a faint cry, and to see the board swing back into place.

Tauriel stared at it for barely a second longer, then snapped a string of orders to the guards behind her. "Alert those guarding the gate! Mobilize a troop of guards to follow me. Legolas, come with me!" She swung around and started running for the many smaller gates and pathways hidden along the river.

Legolas stared down at the giant board for several heartbeats, jaw clenched. Finally, he turned to follow Tauriel.

* * *

><p>"Shut the gate!" Legolas snapped roughly to the guard behind him. The elf promptly lifted a horn to his lips and blew a long, clear note.<p>

As Tauriel heard it ring down the river, a sense of calm settled over her. There was still a chance.

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><p>At the gates, those guarding them drew their swords in one clean, smooth motion.<p>

And then the arrows came whistling down, and Orcs started flooding over them. Within seconds, the heavy silence had been filled with yells and snarls.

Bolg watched as one of the dwarves made a desperate lunge for the lever controlling the gates. Drawing his bow, Bolg swung an arrow up onto it and aimed quickly. As long as it hit the dwarf, he did not care. The disgusting creature would die either way, but he wanted to be sure.

The arrow hissed through the air, and met its mark

Kili stopped, felt the pain spreading across his leg.

He swayed.

"_Kili_!" Fili shouted.

He grabbed for the lever desperately.

And as his fingers slipped, he fell backward.

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><p>Tauriel fairly flew down the stone pathways, checking her weapons as she did so.<p>

Soon faint cries were filtering towards her. Then she saw the bodies, Orc and elf alike, floating in the river and on the ground.

Finally, after so much time, the Orcs had dared to take the final step. They were in Mirkwood.

Tauriel unslung her bow, and with one fluid motion spun an arrow up to it, ready to be shot within a moment's notice.

She saw an Orc, lunging towards something. She did not know if it was a dwarf or one of her guards, but either way it must die.

She released the arrow, satisfied when she saw the disgusting creature drop to the ground.

Taking the final steps, Tauriel took in everything in one glance.

Dwarves, in barrels, underneath the bridge. Another dwarf, likely injured, on the bridge itself.

And everywhere, _Orcs_.

Quickly, she drew an arrow and aimed for an Orc shuffling down the stone steps. Releasing it, she drew her long dagger and lunged for another Orc, decapacitating it with a growl of anger. The big Orc was shouting something, and somehow Tauriel knew that they were orders to kill.

To kill her.

Orcs pounded towards her, and for the first time a thread of worry wormed its way into her heart. She could not take so many alone.

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><p>Legolas gestured for the guards behind them to ready their weapons, and as he ducked through the bushes he nocked an arrow. As an Orc passed directly through his line of vison, he shot the arrow, grim satisfaction flooding him when he saw the creature stumble and fall.<p>

_Tauriel_, he thought. _I must find her._

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><p>Tauriel spun as yet another Orc confronted her, hair flowing behind her like a red wave. Baring her teeth, she sliced through the creature's skin like paper with a growl of disgust and swung around to face another. Quickly dispatching it, Tauriel watched in horror as the dwarf made a desperate lunge for the lever.<p>

And suceeded.

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><p><strong>As always, reviews are very much appreciated!<strong>

**Until the next chapter!**


	8. Leave It Behind

**Sooo, chapter eight. As always, thank y'all for your support!**

**Also, for those of you who have been reading Memory, that fic has now been completed. Hopefully, the sequel will be up soon!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Tauriel stared.<p>

Shock. Anger. Disgust. Disbelief.

They were all options.

Unfortunately, ignoring the Orcs currently trying to kill her was not one of them.

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><p>Stomping down the path, Tauriel spotted Leniyaen.<p>

Every part of her screamed to finish the job then and there, but she knew that to do so would be seen as both treason and murder.

Baring her teeth, she grabbed the elf by the collar and flung him up against a stone wall.

Leniyaen yelped, struggling to free himself.

"You thought it was over?" Tauriel hissed.

"I-I...," the elf stammered desperately.

"You thought you could do whatever you wished?" she spat. "Getting drunk on duty!" Her fist tightened, and as airflow was slowly cut off, Leniyaen's face paled. "Do you know what happened because of you and your foolish, _foolish_ actions?" She released him, and he gasped for air.

Tauriel spun him around to face the now empty cells.

Leniyaen stared for half a second, and then slumped down to the floor.

Tauriel stared at the elf, disgusted, then swung around and faced the small crowd of guards staring at her.

"What?" she barked.

Most promptly bowed or saluted, and a few brave souls dared to meet her gaze.

Tauriel bit back a hiss of annoyance, and stomped away.

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><p>"You were tracking the company of thirteen dwarves," Legolas said coldly. "Why?"<p>

"Not thirteen," the Orc rasped. "Not anymore."

Tauriel tensed, her senses on high alert. Her whole body was humming with suppressed energy.

"The young one. A black haired archer," the disgusting creature sneered. "Stuck him with a Morgul shaft. Poisons in his blood. He'll be choking on it soon." The Orc leered at her.

"Answer the question, filth," Tauriel said clearly, her voice icy. Inwardly, she was screaming with rage, sympathy, and fear.

_I will not let him die_, she promised herself. _I will not let another become victim to their poisons._

The Orc lunged forward, snarling something in Black speech.

Tauriel had no doubt it was something highly insulting.

Wrenching the Orc back, Legolas put more pressure on the blade on the Orc's neck. "I would not antagonize her," Legolas said darkly, perhaps remembering the many times he had been victim to Tauriel's frustration.

Tauriel's mind was howling for her to kill the Orc. To slaughter the horrible creature and run, run, run.

She tried to keep a handle on her temper, but finally she gave the fight up.

"You like killing, Orc?" she asked in a dangerous tone. With a flip of her hand, she drew one of her daggers. The ring of Elvish steel rang out, and Thranduil tensed noticeably. "You like death?" Eyes drilled holes in her, but she ignored them. She was done. Done with hiding, done with letting Thranduil make her decisions for her. In a split second decision, she made her choice. Her voice rose higher with anger. "Well then let me give it to you!"

Lunging forward, Tauriel was fully prepared to part the Orc's head from his body in one quick move.

The world faded, and all she could see was the Orc. A split second before the prisoner would have been dead, a voice broke through.

"Enough, Tauriel!" Thranduil barked. "Go now."

Slowly, grudgingly, Tauriel lowered the blade and stepped backward.

Grey eyes burned with silent rage as she met them. Tauriel knew that Thranduil was furious, and was more than a little annoyed herself that he had prevented her from slaying the creature in front of her.

Tauriel hissed slightly through clenched teeth. Slowly, she regained control of herself.

Bitterly, she sheathed her dagger. Options swirled in her mind.

Defy the Elvenking.

Leave.

Apologize and return to her duties.

And, most tantalizing, go after the dwarves and try and help the archer, the one she had saved before.

Nodding slightly, she turned and half-ran towards the gates. Her boots slapped the floor in a steady beat, and the sound was forever memorized.

"I do not care about one dead dwarf," she heard Thranduil say. "Answer the question." His voice was as cold as he could possible make it.

Tauriel gritted her teeth and moved on.

She stopped several strides from the gates.

Apprehension flooded her, and for a heartbeat she faltered.

She knew full-well what would likely be her fate if she openly and completely defied Thranduil. With a shock, she realized that this was what her ancestors had done.

_I am walking down the same path_, she thought, horrified. _I am falling. I am already gone..._

Bowing her head, Tauriel worked desperately to keep panic from overtaking her.

_You will fall. I pray you wil rise again._

She failed miserably.

_Flames, enveloping her completely. Everything was burning, burning. Ashes. Smoke. Heat._

Slowly, she looked up again.

_I can fall no further_, she reasoned. _And if I can help the dwarves, perhaps this disaster will be avoided._

Tauriel lunged forward towards the gates, rushing to complete this action that would forever ruin any chances of her favor being restored with the Elvenking.

Within seconds, she was through.

_I am free._

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><p>Legolas glanced backward once, worry for Tauriel tinging his thoughts. A snarl by the Orc forced him to tear his attention away from her.<p>

"You had orders to kill. Why?" Legolas demanded. "And what is Thorin Oakenshield to you?"

"A dwarf rat," the Orc growled. "He will never be king."

"King?" Legolas snapped. "There is no king under the mountain, nor will there ever be. None would dare enter Erebor whilst the dragon lives."

"_You know nothing!"_

Legolas frowned slightly, instantly regretting it.

"The world will _burn_," the creature hissed.

Sliding the dagger harder against the Orc's skin, Legolas braced himself against its body. "What are you talking about? Speak!"

"Our time has come again... My master serves _the One_. Do you understand now, _elfling_? Death is upon you! The flames of war are upon you!" A horrible cackle filled the air for half a second.

There was a hiss of steel, and suddenly he was holding the Orc's head.

"Why did you do that?" Legolas let the head drop to the ground with a thud. "You promised to set him free."

Thranduil was silent for several seconds.

"And I did," he finally said. "I freed his wretched head from his miserable shoulders." He walked around to stand by Legolas, slamming his boot down onto the Orc's quivering body. It crunched.

"There was more the Orc could tell us," Legolas insisted, staring down at the body. He looked up at his father, expecting an answer.

"There was nothing more he could tell me," Thranduil said firmly. He spun, sheathing his blade with a ring of steel.

"What did he mean by the flames of war?" Legolas called after him, turning to follow.

"It means they intend to unleash a weapon so great it will destroy all but the Orcs." His voice was thoughtful, tinged with worry. He spun, voice rising. "I want the watch doubled on all borders! All roads, all rivers. Nothing moves but I hear of it. No one enters this kingdom. _And no one leaves it."_

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><p>"Close the gate!" Legolas called out, making his way towards the elves currently guarding it. "Keep it sealed by the order of the King."<p>

"What of Tauriel, my lord?" someone asked.

He stopped.

"What of her?"

"She went into the forest armed with her bow and daggers," they called back.

Legolas froze. His heart was pounding in his chest, and suddenly everything was too loud.

_Tauriel,_ he thought. She's gone. _And I know why. That dwarf! _he hissed to himself._ That Valar-cursed dwarf, the one that got shot. She went to him_.

Jealousy and anger flooded him, and he surpressed a growl. Clenching his jaw, Legolas turned.

Slowly, he walked out into the woodland that had once been green and alive. Now, it was dark and ruined-much, it seemed, like his relationship with Tauriel. Once, she had respected him. Once, she had been alive. Now, everything had been ruined.

_Corrupted._

As he left his father's halls behind, Legolas knew he was risking everything.

_But_, he told himself,_ I cannot leave her to fight alone._

_I will not._

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><p><strong>The next chapter is a really important one, but unfortunately I don't know when it will be up. More reviews will mean a faster update, though ;)<strong>


	9. Broken

**Chapter nine! Pay attention too Tauriel's memory, and what Gyldyril says. ;) It's very important to the storyline.**

**Thank you, reviewers, followers and faves! Sol3Bug, I know, I'm horrible... :P TinkStar87, next chapter we have some nice Legolas/Tauriel fluff, hopefully!**

**Please forgive any typos, grammar mistakes and misspellings. :)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Tauriel moved her feet and legs automatically; head spinning as she fully recognized what she had done.<p>

_I did not think_, she thought desperately. _I did not know. I reacted impulsively. I failed my duty!_

Stumbling, she almost pitched herself headlong into the river.

_It is done,_ she told herself grimly. _Nothing I say or do can change that._

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><p>In Lorien, Lady Galadriel was worried.<p>

Lord Elrond had sent a bitter, harsh message to her. It was terse to the point of rudeness. When asking why he was so upset, she had discovered that one of Seena's daughters still lived.

_Seena._

She played with the name in her head, multiple memories of the elleth brought to the surface.

Sighing, the Lady of Lorien spun, her gown flowing behind her, glittering white in the darkness.

Seena's children were special. There was no doubt about that. The problem was, Seena was no longer alive to hold the bitterness that chased her family in check.

Thoughtfully, Lady Galadriel tipped her head to one side.

_I wonder..._ she mused.

* * *

><p>Thranduil was furious. She had left. Just left, defied him. Abandoned all sense of duty and honor. And Gyldyril... Poison, corrupting, evil. Dark as the night itself. It must be eliminated.<p>

"Bring me the prisoner," he finally raged.

The servant stammered an unintelligible answer, and Thranduil eyed him dangerously.

"_Now_," he hissed.

"I-I...of course, m-my lord..." The elf bowed, shaking, and fairly ran from the room.

* * *

><p>Tauriel dodged a pile of bones, her stomach roiling as she eyed the piles of putrid flesh and clotted blood.<p>

The Orcs were moving down the river, following the dwarves as best they could. That she was sure of. But what of the dwarves themselves? What of the dark-haired archer, the one who had defied death twice now? What of the others? Dwarves they might be, but she had no desire to let any being die in front of her very eyes.

Avoiding breathing through her nose, Tauriel moved to the head of the rocks.

Looking out at the rushing river, Tauriel shuddered. Suddenly, as if a section of her mind had been unlocked, she could remember. She could remember it as if it was but a day ago, a memory still fresh in her mind.

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><p><em>Her brother, smiling at her. His grey eyes were soft. Behind him, the elf who she had thought her father grinned at her mother.<em>

_Her mother. Memories of her were fainter, faded. Green eyes looking down at her. A smile flitting across a pale, moon-shaped face. Bright, bright red hair._

_And a pair of daggers, clutched in each small hand._

_"Do not hesitate." Audriel's eyes were serious, but in the very depths of them there was a glimmer of laughter. "Never, ever hesitate. If you do, they will kill you."_

_She paused for a heartbeat, and the small elf brushed ragged red hair out of her face. Frowning in confusion._

_"Why, Nana?"_

_Bitter, bitter pools of green. Pain flashing across her face._

_"It is part of our life. Evil will always be there, even if it but a shadow. Some of the most powerful elves of this age do not understand that. It is our duty to protect this land-and ourselves-from darkness. It has always been so, ever since your ancestor sacrificed her life in the war. It always be this way. Do not forget that."_

_The elleth nodded vigorously._

_And then, very faintly, words. Vague, as if Audriel was scared to say them herself._

_"I will not always be here, Seena. Soon, you will be alone."_

_And then, suddenly, smoke. Fire, blood. Screams._

_"Run! Run, and don't look back. They have come for us. Remember, my dear. Remember that she loved you, and so do I."_

_Once again, daggers were pushed firmly into her hands, and caloused fingers wrapped her own firmly around the hilts._

_"Remember."_

* * *

><p>Thranduil lay one hand on his sword, jaw clenched in an effort to keep his temper.<p>

"Tauriel has left," he growled.

Gyldyril stared at him, her eyes glazed over.

"Tell me, do you know anything of this?" he demanded.

"It's time," the old elf muttered inanely.

Thranduil's hand clenched around the hilt of his sword. His knuckles were slowly going white.

"Answer the question."

Gyldyril shook herself, green eyes widening slightly.

"You pushed her too far, didn't you?" she laughed wildly. "And she left. You should have learned the first time, Thranduil. We do not stand for being ordered around."

A muscle twitched in the Elvenking's jaw.

"Do not speak for her," he rumbled. "Your line is the same in one way, and one way only. You all eventually betray us."

Gyldyril tilted her head, a bruise flowering on one cheek. She obviously had not come to him willingly. Suddenly, startlingly, a glimmer of the elf she had been shone through in her manner. She stood straight, and her bearing was almost royal. Sharp, clear green eyes glared up at him, and Thranduil almost flinched. This was the elf he knew-and hated deeply.

"Really, Thranduil?" Gyldyril asked softly. "I have seen her mind. I know her darkest secrets, her deepest desires. Would you believe that once she cared for you as a father, and did everything she could to please you? Would you believe that she was willing to sacrifie all for the light?" Thranduil winced almost imperceptibly, and she laughed. "I thought not. No, you are not quite as open to her as you might think."

The Elvenking hurriedly continued, not willing to bring back old memories and past events.

"She left," he repeated firmly. "I have cause to believe you played a part in her deception and defiance."

Gyldyril eyed him thoughtfully, and he was unable to meet her gaze. This strong, willful elf was a far cry from the demented elf he had brought up from the dungeons.

He did not entirely like the change.

"Ah," she finally said. "You are scared."

Thranduil bit back a vehement denial. Somehow, Gyldyril was always able to break down the thick walls he hid behind each day.

"I am not," he snapped, fighting to keep his voice level. "I am disappointed, and angered."

Gyldyril narrowed her eyes. Slits of green stared at him, and though she was a good eight inches shorter than Thranduil, she managed to look down at him.

Softly, she spoke. "Once, I would have been prepared to take your word. Not so after you ruined Audriel." Thranduil paled slightly. "I watched her fade, and then her life darkened. She turned to anger and destruction. I warned you that eventually her daughter would do the same." She shook her head. "Of course, you did not listen. No, you are Elvenking and as such you are privileged to do whatever you wish. You ignored your fate." In one smooth, obviously practiced move, Gyldyril raised an eyebrow. Thranduil glowered at her. "Now, when your walls have come tumbling down and as darkness rises again you come crying, trying to find someone to blame for this disaster."

Opening his mouth to voice his anger, Thranduil suddenly came to the realization that she was partially right. Snapping it shut again, he eyed her balefully.

"Are you done?" he growled.

"Oh, no," Gylyril said. Her voice was lethal, and chills raced down his back. "I was your father's advisor for many years, Thranduil. I warned him not to go-nay, begged and pleaded. The fool got himself killed. I got thrown into that dungeon for my pains. I have spent many, many years thinking. My mind has wandered, I have seen and felt things that I have no desire to see and feel again. I took hold of Tauriel for a single purpose. My duty has been fulfilled to Audriel." Sighing deeply, Gyldyril continued. "I know why you brought me here. You plan to end this once and for all, don't you?"

Thranduil's silence was answer enough.

"You think she will come back once I am gone?"

Still he remained mute.

"You believe that I started this, and I have finished it?"

Thranduil's hand tightened even more on the sword hilt.

Advancing on him, Gyldyril looked at him. Her eyes were a sad, clear green.

"You outlived us all," she whispered. "Seena. Laerguel. Aneana. Tauriel's father. My sister. But Tauriel will live, and she will fulfill her duty. This is not done yet, Thranduil. It did not end on the battlefield where Oropher died, not in those blood-soaked fields where Seena gave her life. It will not end now. Darkness is growing. You have been blind to it. I have not. I have seen the shadows growing in the forest. Dol Guldur is home to a being so dark I hesitate to even name it. We have all seen its evil."

Gyldyril stopped, and her eyes glazed. Gasping, she fought to regain control of her mind.

"Tauriel... will live. You must help her. The Lonely Mountain is... but the beginning. She will not come back, Thranduil. She has left you...you and your lies behind forever." Stumbling, Gyldyril regained her feet and stood, swaying in front of him. "Tell her...tell her that she still lives. And that love will guide her...always." She gasped again. "End this, I beg you. I am done."

Horrified, Thranduil watched as she tried desperately to draw his own sword. _She wants to die_, he realized. _She wants to be free from this living death. And did I not call her here to put an end to this?_

Slowly, regretfully, he drew his sword.

Deep green eyes gazed at him, wild and untamed.

The sword fell.

Gyldyril gasped once, and it was not of pain. It was a cry of gladness and relief.

Slowly, her life fled.

She was gone. Her duty was fulfilled.

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><p><strong>I hated doing that. :( Sigh. Anyways, the next update should come fairly quickly. And as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! I love hearing y'all's thoughts on my work.<strong>


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